In our Inspire house fellowships every week we ask one another “Where have you seen God this week?” We are seeking to help one another to recognise that God really is living and present with us ALL the time. We have a number of questions that we use sometimes to prompt each other. When we have shared we always pause to pray with thanksgiving, comfort, or crying out to the Lord together.
But there are times when we admit that we have found it really hard to see God. We might ask “When have you wondered, ‘Where is God?'”
This week I have been visiting with dear friends in Barrow in Furness in England. If you’ve never been to Barrow, you probably never would! It is nicknamed the ‘longest cul-de-sac’ because there is one road in and out of the town. It has suffered the boom and bust many times of being an industrial town and there is a lot of poverty and dereliction. At first glance you’d find it hard to imagine going there on holiday. We have actually found many hidden treasures in Barrow but that’s another story.
Returning this week after an absence of more than 18 months, I was struck at how easy it was to see the factory, the slag heaps, the disheveled walkways and the derelict buildings and feel the weight of despair. And yet as I stood right there the sun was shining, the rose bushes were blooming and the back drop of the blue sky seemed to declare that our creator God was still sovereign. I took a few photos to remind me that even when it is hard to see God, He is still very present. See below.
Are you are feeling the weight of isolation in the last 18 months? Do you feel fearful of reintegrating into life as the pandemic restrictions begin to lift? Does life around you seem difficult? Are your circumstances overwhelming? Is the week ahead daunting? Do you feel the burden of grieving through separation and/or death? Are you wondering, “Where is God?”
I pray that when you pause today and pray, you will see God in unexpected places, hear His still small voice, and know that God is near. He IS with you. He has not forgotten you. And He is still Sovereign over all things.
Samantha is an Inspire Missioner living bi-locationally (usually) in the UK and USA.
